Give Him no rest

Give God no rest when it comes to asking for things that are according to His will. And take no rest yourself. This is what God says:

“You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7).

Being a squeaky wheel pays:

“And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice … (Luke 18:3-5).

There was a king who was told by a prophet to ask God for a sign, to encourage his faith. But the king thought he was being superspiritual by refusing to ask, and God was displeased:

“‘Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.’ And he said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign …’” (Isaiah 7:11-14).

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Therefore it is not polite and humble to pass up a chance to “bother” God with a request. Rather, it is a sign of a lukewarm faith.

In the 1700s the village of Herrnhut, Germany, established a 24-hour prayer vigil that lasted 100 years! The fruit of it was the sending out of missionaries to many lands, and a deep influence on John and Charles Wesley and missionary William Carey’s decision to reach out to India.

My granddaughter and I prayed about two years ago that God would send her to “a school where they teach about Jesus.” So far no answer. This year she starts in a public school in Brooklyn and she told me, unsolicited, that she is still asking God for this.

Good for you, my princess, I will join you. “Give him no rest.”

Andrée Seu Peterson

Andrée is the author of three books: Won't Let You Go Unless You Bless Me, Normal Kingdom Business, and We Shall Have Spring Again.